Harper: Which prospects can Mets get in a trade? We break down four deals

On his first day as the new face of the Mets’ front office, John Ricco said “everything is on the table” when it comes to the trade deadline, and while the odds may be against him taking the huge step of trading Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard, he at least opened the door to exploring the possibilities.

So let’s explore.

After talking to scouts and minor-league evaluators, I’ve come up with a list of four teams that I think would be motivated to give up prized young talent for a No. 1-type starter that could put them over the top in a quest for a championship.

Three of them — the Braves, Brewers, and Dodgers, are in the National League— where there are no super teams this season, and adding a Syndergaard or deGrom truly could separate them from other contenders.

All have plenty of blue-chip major-league ready talent, or close to it anyway, which is vital to any such deal because the Mets have made it clear they’re not going to do a Cubs- or Astros-like rebuild that would entail the years of losing those franchises endured.

And then there are the Yankees. I really can’t see the Mets sending either deGrom or Syndergaard across town to win championships, unless Brian Cashman dipped into his treasure trove of prospects and made them an offer that was simply too good to refuse — and he’s already said Gleyber Torres is off-limits.

In any case, I’ve constructed four potential trades for Syndergaard, because I believe the Mets’ asking price for deGrom would be so high as to make it unrealistic any team would meet it, especially in baseball’s current climate in which GMs value and over-value prospects like never before.

They would ask a high price for Syndergaard as well, and they should, especially since he’s under team control for three more seasons before he can become a free agent.

In fact, that long-range control gives the Mets all the leverage here to get maximum value, because they know they could still get a big haul for Syndergaard next offseason. In fact, there’s a chance they’d get a bigger return then because some teams that aren’t in contention this season, like San Diego, to name one team with a strong farm system, surely would be in the mix.

Meanwhile, potential trading partners obviously would want to see Syndergaard come back from his finger injury and make at least a few starts in July.

But scouts I talked to seemed to think that if he did that, his value would be plenty high, so with all of that in mind, here are my potential trades.

1. Syndergaard to the Brewers for 2B Keston Hiura, RHP Corbin Burnes and OF Corey Ray

Keston Hiura of the Milwaukee Brewers. (Carlos Osorio / AP)

Sources say the Brewers, sensing a chance to make a big splash in October, are very interested in dealing for Syndergaard.

Hiura, 22, is the Brewers’ top prospect. He was the ninth pick of the 2017 draft out of Cal-Irvine, and scouts believe he has All-Star offensive potential.

“Really quick bat with a solid approach at the plate,” one scout said. “He should hit for average and power. Not a great defender but adequate.”

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Promoted to Double-A a month ago, Hiura is hitting .341 in 23 games there with a .930 OPS. Combined with Class A stats this season, he has 27 doubles and nine home runs.

He and Burnes would be the key pieces to the trade. Burnes, 23, is projected to be a No. 3-type starter in the big leagues. Throws 93-94 mph with a very good curve ball, and with a slider and change-up as well. Scouts like his polish.

Burnes, 23, posted great numbers coming through the minors, and though he’s pitching to a 5.45 ERA in Triple-A Colorado Springs, scouts attribute that to the usual difficulties of high altitude.

Ray, 23, was the fifth overall pick in 2016, and after he struggled his first couple of years in the minors, scouts see significant progress this year in Double-A, where he’s hitting .250 with 10 home runs, 20 doubles, and 19 stolen bases.

The Braves are a bit like the Yankees of 2017, a year ahead of schedule, but the opportunity is there and they have a deep farm system if they want to go for it.

The strength of their system is young pitching, which might work against a deal with the Mets, but they don’t really have a true No. 1 starter, so perhaps they could be enticed.

The Mets would love to get Riley, a 21-year old third baseman who was promoted from Double-A after just 27 games. He’s hitting .284 with a .777 OPS in Triple-A, but scouts believe he’s loaded with offensive potential.

“He’ll hit 30-plus home runs in the big leagues,’’ one scout said. “His plate discipline has gotten better at every level. He’ll continue to get better.”

Wright, 22, was the No. 5 overall pick in the ’17 draft, but he’s one of several high-end pitching prospects the Braves have on their farm, so the Mets might be able to pry him away.

Scouts say he throws “easy gas” at 95-96 mph, and has above-average breaking stuff with both a curve and a slider. His 4.15 ERA at Double-A doesn’t look great, but scouts point out that he’s only a year out of college, and advancing quickly.

Contreras, 20, is the brother of Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, and scouts think he’ll be a solid starting major league catcher within a couple of years. He’s in Class A, hitting .297 with a .778 OPS.

Muller, 20, was a second-round pick in 2016, who is pitching to a 3.10 ERA in high A ball after being promoted a few weeks ago.

3. Syndergaard to the Dodgers for OF Alex Verdugo, C Keibert Ruiz and RHP Dennis Santana

Alex Verdugo of Los Angeles Dodgers. (Rick Scuteri / AP)

The Dodgers desperately want to win their first world championship since 1988, especially after getting all the way to Game 7 of the World Series last year.

They went for it last year with a Yu Darvish trade that didn’t work out, but they still have a strong farm system, and getting three more years of Syndergaard would be appealing to them.

Verdugo, 22, is one of the top outfield prospects in the minors, hitting .330 in Triple-A with an .867 OPS. He has only six home runs but scouts believe he’s a natural hitter who will develop power.

He’s a lefty-hitting outfielder, which isn’t at the top of the Mets’ needs, but they could always trade from strength in the offseason.

Ruiz, who turns 20 in July, is a switch-hitting catcher that scouts believe has All-Star potential.

Strong defensively, Ruiz is hitting .255 in Double-A with little power, but young for that level, and one scout said, “He has an advanced approach, squares a lot of balls up — he’s got a lot of ability.”

Santana, 22, has overcome control issues in the minors to blossom into a top prospect. He throws a hard sinker at 95 mph, was pitching to 2.54 ERA in Triple-A with 65 strikeouts to only 16 walks in 49.2 innings.

Clint Frazier could easily replace Drury in this deal, but Mets have more need for infielders. In any case, Florial would be the key to the trade, as the Yankees think he’s their center fielder of the future, loaded with speed and offensive potential.

Yankees have resisted calling up Sheffield, partly due to command issues, but scouts are still high on his potential. And Wade could still blossom into a solid major-league infielder with great speed.